At Time's Behest
by AGhostlyWriter
Summary: It's been six years since Doctor Tsukune Aono narrowly avoided being sent off to a private school in the countryside by gambling on one last entrance exam, which he passed with top marks. Since then, he has discovered a genius level intellect for all things historic. A talent that will set him back on the path to the monster world when he uncovers a strange find.


**Prologue**

**Alright, considering that this is the prologue, and that I really wanted to get this out there, it is a bit shorter than my average chapter length. Feedback of any kind is appreciated. **

**Enjoy:**

Tsukune Aono's brow creased as he pondered his latest public disgrace, the instrument of which he absentmindedly twirled between his fingers. He found the curious object in a ruin south of Sendai just a few weeks ago. To be fair, it was not so much the object himself that made his peers scoff. It was the theory the young archeologist formulated to explain how the artifact ended up in Japan that raised eyebrows. Dr. Aono understood that the panel would be skeptical. Even now, he had difficulty believing his own hunch. However, it was a good starting point; it was a lead that was worth investigating in his expert opinion.

Alas, the board did not see it in the same eye. Having presented his findings in a short twenty minute presentation, the members told him point blank that he would receive no funding for what they qualified as "a frivolous and far-fetched speculation that we'd expect to hear from someone in a tinfoil hat." Needless to say, the outburst of laughter that came after the humiliating comment was enough to usher him out of the room with his head hung low.

Since making his way back to his office, he spent his time skulking in his office. At times, he would curse the supposed experts for dismissing an idea solely because it did not fit their preconceived notion; only a debutant would refuse to listen to a possibility that would create a paradigm shift. At other moments, he blamed himself for going with such an idiotic pitch; the logistics of the time would render such a migration impossible in a single lifetime. The Mughals tried to move fraction of the distance and they were almost annihilated, despite being a nomadic group at the time.

The Mongols made it over a span of centuries. According to the carbon-dating of the artifact, it would be another century and a half before the Portuguese would try to make the same voyage. The Chinese Empire would have stopped any European traveling that far to the east. What was he missing?

He turned his attention back to the object. It was a golden ring. Though lightly eroded, it was in surprisingly good condition for something that was nearly six hundred years old. It was unremarkable in every aspect, save for the intricate design present on the ring's gallery. In the center was the effigy of a cross encircled by the depiction of a dragon biting its tail. There was also an inscription that surrounded the band. Unfortunately, time had made what Tsukune presumed to be Latin nearly impossible to decipher in totality. Though his knowledge of European religious orders were limited, he knew enough to be able to attribute the peculiar ring to an order of nobles that came to be in the late Middle-Ages.

Its origin was indisputable. It was found on the other side of the globe. Perhaps an industrious European brought it to Japan and traded it as a gesture of good faith. The historian shook his head. It was almost as preposterous as his first idea. Any merchant would have estimated the value of this ring to be astronomical. Selling it to a Japanese official would have been inconceivable when the domestic market would have yielded so much more. It wasn't a forgery either. What was he missing?

"Boss."

Tsukune's gaze turned upward. In the door's threshold stood his sorry excuse for an assistant. At 1 meter and 70 centimeters, Kaoru Takahashi was roughly around Tsukune's height. He had a slender built, short black hair and a near constant frown etched on his face. Tsukune hated the fact that he had to employ Kaoru as much as the assistant despised working for such a small wage. Alas, Tsukune had no talent for accounting, and Kaoru did a rather good job of keeping the books in order, in spite of his persistent habit of skimming a bit off the top every chance he got. But no matter how dishonest his employee was, Tsukune could not resolve himself to fire him. He knew Kaoru was practically drowning in gambling debts. It wasn't the most ideal arrangement, yet it kept him from going bankrupt and it gave Kaoru a chance to somewhat straighten out his act.

"What is it?"

"I've got some outstanding bills I need to pay. The landlord threatened to evict me if I didn't pay up soon."

Tsukune rubbed his temple as he felt the beginning of a migraine coming on. If only Kaoru wasn't lying through his teeth, he would be so much more inclined to pay him forward. "This is the third time this year, Takahashi."

"Right, but I gotta send some money home to get my sister through high school."

"I though you said you were an only child." He answered with a tired tone.

"I never said that!" He replied with an offended look. Tsukune was sorely tempted to open up his drawer and present the scam artist with his own resume but he decided against it. This would turn into another confrontation, and undergoing a stressful morning between mocked by a prominent historical institution had a way of sapping the fight out of him.

"Fine. Just make sure things don't get out of hand."

"Will do," the ungrateful employee politely uttered before leaving to withdraw the money, the implied meaning was without a doubt lost on the assistant.

On his way out, Kaoru closed the door to his employer's office, leaving the genius archeologist to soak in the gloom of his most recent defeat at the hands of a perpetually hostile establishment. While others were going through their first year of college, he'd already blown through the curriculum and wrapped up his doctoral thesis. He was heralded as the greatest Japanese mind in the realm of Archeology. The same people that ridiculed him today saw him as the authority on any topic that revolved around buried sites. To think that all it took was one botched analysis in South Korea to force him from titled prodigy to laughing stock. It's been nearly two years since then, and he was no closer to regaining his colleague's respect. If not for his sole good friend that continually inspired him to fight on, he would have probably gone home with his tail between his legs. As much as he loved History, he sometimes wondered if it wouldn't have been better to opt for that strange school in the countryside instead of trying his luck with one last entrance exam. Sure, he had been accepted and discovered a previously unknown predilection for the field, but at what cost?

Speaking of which. He glanced over at his watch. His friend should be here any minute now, ready to comfort him and tell him how they were wrong and that he should follow his intuition. It was sad that she was privy to his moment of public disgrace, she was also petitioning the board for her own projects to fund. At least it would save him the hassle of having to explain why he was so down. Besides, it would give him a chance to congratulate her, he heard that she convinced the board to grant her request for full funding. It was a rare feat, but if anyone could pull it off, it had to be the only mind that outshined his own intellect in the country: all around genius Yukari Sendo.

The door opened once more and he was greeted by the eighteen year old he had the pleasure of knowing since the distant days of them working on their respective degrees. Dressed in her usual attire, made up of a very professional looking white blouse and black skirt, she almost appeared to be the archetype of the high school professor. He always assumed it was because she found a job as a teacher at her alma mater. He never did figure out how she could commute back and forth so quickly, and always in time to have lunch with.

"Heya, Tsukune," she chipped with a small smile.

"Hey," he responded with a grin of his own. Her happy disposition was contagious, all of his worries had a tendency to melt away when she cheered him up.

"Feeling better?" She quipped as she sat down and cleared the constantly messy desk with a broad swipe of her arm, giving her enough space to place two ready-made sandwiches still wrapped up in the local eateries logo.

She had a right to be asking that; the last time she saw him, his dejected look made a few of the more impressionable contestants wonder if this was the last straw for the infamous Dr. Aono. He appreciated her concern.

"Way better," he belayed her worrying with a dismissive gesture of his hand, "I was hoping I would at least get a tenth of what I asked, though. As it is, I don't know how I'll keep this place afloat if they keep turning me down like this."

While it was true that Kaoru was creative enough to make the income Tsukune poured into this place last longer than most would have even while ensuring he never took a pay cut himself, most of the capital that was tied up were leftovers of the glory days. At this rate, Takahashi estimated, they would run out by the year's end.

As he contemplated his options in the midst of his first bite into his frugal lunch, he looked up to see Yukari's eternally tranquil onyx eyes. "You'll find a way," she reassured as she outstretched her hand and patted him on the shoulder, "you always have and always will."

She was right, he thought. This was nothing out of the ordinary. All he had to do was figure out a way to make some private collector become enamored with the prospect of rewriting the past. He brought out the golden ring and examined it anew. Surely, even the artifact was worth a small fortune on its own if he found the right buyer. It was authentic, so he had the pick of the litter in that respect. He had to admit he loathed the prospect of selling what essentially belonged to the whole of Man. Alas, he had to eat. That small reminder brought him back to reality. And after carefully placing the priceless jewel in front of him, he promptly wolfed down what was to be his sole source of sustenance for another twenty-four hours.

Once done, he noticed Yukari could not pry her eyes away from the ancient find. He observed her for a few moments and, deeming that he needed to break the uncomfortable silence, spoke up in earnest. "By the way, congratulations on your success."

"Huh?" She retorted as she came out of her trance-like stare. "Oh right, thanks. Hey, can I see that thing for a sec?"

Before Tsukune could respond either way, she had already taken it in her hands. The curious looks and nods reminded him of the rare few times he had seen her work on her own topics. Every imperceptible nod, he learned, was an entire thesis she concocted on the object. In that way, her analytical mind was something of a marvel to watch when it went to work.

"Any thoughts?" He asked, somewhat lost as to why Yukari would suddenly become enamored with a historical enigma.

"There's something magical about this artifact," she murmured for her own benefit. Her focused demeanor indicated that she had forgotten all about her esteemed friend.

Strange, it wasn't the first word he would use when qualifying the ancient accessory but he did agree it had a certain allure to it. A practically mystical attraction that made this piece stand out from most of the other artifacts he unearthed. "I know what you mean. Now, the only thing left to do is find a buyer who agrees."

"What?" She was brought back once more from her reverie, though she seemed to blush a little this time around. Had she said something she was embarrassed about? "You're looking for a collector? I thought you hated the idea of 'selling off parts of the past'," she quoted from memory every time she urged him to make a little money on the side and he replied the same phrase again and again.

"I don't have much a choice, do I?"

"In that case," she said as she slipped the object into her coat pocket, "I know someone who'll want to take a look at this. Would it be okay if I brought him by your tomorrow?"

The doctor was taken aback at how quickly things had escalated. For some odd reason, this discussion made him feel increasingly uncomfortable, a sense of foreboding hung heavily in the air. He brushed away his concerns with vigor. He felt ashamed he would let his mind go astray with superstitious nonsense; he was a professional, damn it!

"Sure, I'd be happy to meet them. Are you sure they can pay?"

"Positive," she beamed, already halfway out of Tsukune's office, "I'll see ya tomorrow."

"O-Okay?" He hesitantly answered for no one in particular. Yukari was already speeding down the street in a hurry. He'd never seen her move with such urgency. Apparently, the buyer must have been pretty wealthy or supremely important for to head off in a hurry like that. Ah well, that could only be a good thing. With the ominous feeling dispersed, he contemplated his good fortune just as he called his assistant back into the room.

"Yeah, boss?" the black-haired petty thief tentatively asked.

"Open up that bottle under your desk, we both earned a drink."

"We're gonna be getting some money then?" He asked with a glint in his eye.

"Enough so that we never have to worry about funding again, I'd bet."

The glint turned into a full-blown shine as the assistant quickly brought the bottle his boss declared would only be opened for a special occasion. He was still a bit disappointed that he'd have to auction off the ring; luckily, it was for these conflicting moments that the sweet bliss of alcohol existed.


End file.
